Luxury Dining Series 2025: Taste and Tradition with The St. Regis Jakarta

Our arrival at The St. Regis Jakarta marked more than just another check-in — it was the beginning of a thoughtfully curated exploration into the city’s cultural and culinary heritage, hosted as part of the Luxury Dining Series 2025. With this year’s theme, ‘Forgotten Flavors,’ the programme celebrates local traditions in a way that feels both personal and profound.

Day 1

We were greeted by our own 24-hour butler and a series of welcome amenities — including intricate chocolate shaped like gunungan (a mountain-shaped shadow puppet figure) and caricature sketches of each guest. The welcome was warm, refined, and unmistakably St. Regis.

After settling in, we joined a full tour of the hotel’s spaces — from the modernist grandeur of its public areas to the lavish Presidential and Metropolitan Suites. Just before dinner, we gathered beneath the Grand Staircase for the daily sabrage ritual, a theatrical prelude to the series’ opening night.

That evening’s gala dinner at Bel Étage was a celebration of Indonesia’s regional richness, served in a refined rijsttafel format by Chef Almatino Gabriel and his team, ending with a buffet of traditional jajan pasar reimagined by Executive Pastry Chef Kevin Lee. Back in the room, three bottled cocktails curated by Paulo Naranjo from The St. Regis Bar awaited — a perfect nightcap.

Day 2

The following days blended immersive discovery with thoughtful indulgence. We started with ‘Taste of Tradition’ breakfast rooted in Nusantara classics, before venturing out to Iwan Tirta for a preview of their afternoon tea collaboration and a hands-on batik workshop. Later, we visited Javara Indonesia, where we toured their organic garden, tasted artisan ingredients, and crafted sambal in a lively cooking session.

Our second evening at the hotel began with Violet Hour martini at The St. Regis Bar, then concluded one level up at JJA Restaurant, where we indulged in ‘Taste of the Tales’ dinner featured Chef Arne Riehn of Michelin-starred IGNIV Bangkok.

Day 3

Cultural excursions added even more depth, with a day spent exploring Jakarta’s colonial neighbourhood Kota Tua, where we visited museums Wayang, Fatahilah, and Senirupa & Keramik. The cultural walk followed by lunch at Café Batavia, where Indonesian dishes took on colonial influences in a beautifully preserved setting.

Back at the hotel, we returned just in time for the next part of Luxury Dining Series at The St. Regis Jakarta, the launch of a new afternoon tea collaboration between Chef Kevin Lee and Janice Wong, complete with interactive edible artwork and her signature chocolate creations. The excitement of the day capped with a bar takeover at The St. Regis Bar, where it brought together mixologists from The EDITION hotels in Tokyo and Singapore, offering a rare look into Asia’s evolving cocktail culture – but still carried old Jakarta influences.

Day 4

Our final morning ended on a high with Sparkle Sunday Brunch at Bel Étage, where all of its signature offerings from fresh seafood, pass-around carts, and the cheese room greeted our weekend. Yet, there was still room for more surprise, a local delicacy, semur jengkol (dogfruit stew) made a rare five-star appearance – a bold and welcome nod to this year’s theme.

The St. Regis Jakarta, as the sixth stop of the series, brought forward a strong voice in a regional conversation about heritage, luxury, and the stories we tell through food.

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